Altromondo (Another world)
by Frosthsea
Summary: Right after Gray leaves with his team for a mission to save master Makarov from Alvarez Empire, Juvia goes with Lisanna, Mira, Cana Levy and Gajeel looking for Laxus. During their mission Juvia is hit by a poisoned arrow. Gray will be force to face his feelings, the hard way this time, because she will not be her caring forgiving self.. please please please leave a little review!
1. Chapter 1

It was early in the morning when Lisanna called Gray with her lacryma.

It took him nearly the entire day. A horrible travel by ship. A stinky car full of sheep and a walk on the hottest day of the year to arrive where she was but he didn't mind it. In Gray's head, there was only one thing that mattered. The only thing that kept repeating, like a refrain, were Lisanna's words:"Something happened to Juvia. We don't know what to do!"

It was the second time he left her and she got sick. He could not forgive himself if something bad happened this time! He had always thought that for Juvia, being with him was a curse because his whole life was cursed. Everyone he cared about suffered, died. He had tried to keep her safe. Keeping her far from him, but she was stubborn, so damn stubborn and slowly but deeply Juvia had dug a hole in his heart, where she took a home and refused to go.

It was damn clear for him, when he saw her again, after six months, that his heavy heart was not about his mission and the fear to be caught (as he used to repeat himself); it was because he missed her like one misses his breath when he remains for too long under water. He was drowning, slowly and deeply, and he couldn't deny it anymore.

Like water, she took his breath away, like water she was the only thing that could quench his thirst. Now, admitting this in his mind meant for him, to condemn her to his own curse, so he did the only thing he could: he left her all over again sailing to Alvarez without a goodbye.

So why was she in danger again? He was ready to put a continent between them. She was supposed to stay safe in the guild, so why the hell was this happening?

The sun was going down when he ran in a little iron tent in the wood. Gajeel's made. Obviously.

When Gray entered the tent, Lisanna was at Juvia's bedside, while Mira was treating a wound on her stomach. The air smelled like disinfectant and he felt his gut twisting and his head lighter.

"What happened?" He nearly screamed but his voice came out raspy and gruff as he finally caught his breath walking to Juvia's bed. She was pale, her face was twisted into a pained expression, her lips parted. He touched the skin on her cheek. She was so cold and he felt like dying. Gray brushed her hair over her ear and focused on her breath looking at her chest rising rapidly, then he touched her white neck, feeling the blood of her veins flow under his fingertips. She was alive.

Mira looked relieved to see him there and went to hug him when he turned in her direction. "Gray!" He freed himself and grabbed Mira's shoulders, "What happened?" He repeated.

"I don't know Gray! We were fighting with a guy, a mage from the West. As soon as you, Natsu ant the others left, we went on a mission to find Laxus and apparently this guy had information. He seemed so weak and maybe we underestimated his powers but at some point, he equipped a bow and aimed at Lisanna. Juvia was the fastest and put herself in the line. She did not use her water body, she took the arrow in Lisanna's place!" Mira sobbed hiding her face in her hands "I feel so useless!"

Gray looked at Juvia. There was no way she could die for something like this! He knew her, she was damn strong. She could not...

"A doctor saw her," Lisanna said putting her hand on Gray's shoulder, startling him. "He said the wound does not seem infected and yet Juvia has the signs of a blood infection. He didn't know what to do or maybe he didn't want to help because we are not from Alvarez, however, he said that with her body water she has some chance. She has to fight."

Gray took Juvia's hands in his, touching her as she was made of glass and caressed her back with his thumb.

"She will fight!" He said looking straight in Lisanna's eyes.

She nodded drying with her palm a tear that was falling on her cheek."I know she will, now that you are here!"

Gray didn't leave the bedside all night long, keeping Juvia's hand in his, and wetting Juvia's lips from time to time to keep her well-hydrated.

Early in the morning Mira entered the tent and found Gray dozing off with his head on Juvia's lap and her hand still in his.

"Gray," Mira called softly. The ice mage opened his eyes and for a moment he seemed almost childish with his watery, puffy eyes, the red mark of the sheet on his cheek and the confused expression but then he looked at Juvia and his eyes turned worried and sad.

"How is she? He asked looking everywhere but at Mira's, slightly embarrassed about her founding him like that.

"I think she looks better!" Mira smiled weakly "Her skin seems less pale and she is breathing more regularly."

Gray nodded inspecting Juvia. Her lips were slowly returning to their peculiar shade of pink, she got a bit of colour on her cheeks and the hand he was still holding felt warm. The kind of warmth he always felt radiating from her body when he was close.

"I wanted to tell you that Cana and Gajeel called on the lacryma, they found the guy that shoot at Juvia!" Mira said hardening her eyes.

"Good, tell them to bring him here," Gray said shaking in anger.

Mira shooked her head with a vindictive gleam in her eyes "I don't think that's possible,Cana and Gajeel, they.."

As they had been called the two entered the tent.

"Gray you're here?!" Cana said hugging him.

"Yes!" He answered briefly "Have you discovered something? Maybe knowing what power the jerk had can help Juvia.."

"I took care of the guy." Gajeel said focusing his red piercing eyes in Gray's to make him understand.

"And.." the ice mage urged.

"Apparently, the arrow was poisoned! Here in the west, they use magic but also magic objects and potions and that arrow had a shit on its tip" Gajeel answered looking in Juvia's direction and crossing his arms on his chest.

"What? What does it mean? What kind of poison? Did he had the antidote?" Gray asked.

"He didn't!" Gajeel said, "believe us if I tell you the guy was ready to give us even his mother after the little talk we had!"

"He said he didn't know what effect the poison has. It seems that it has a different effect that depends on the target, maybe, so there is no antidote. He just knew how they call the thing here in the west,it is called Altromondo!"Cana said going next to the bed and passing a hand on Juvia's forehead.

Levy appeared in the tent, breathing hard, running and trying to keep up with Gajeel and Cana.

"Altromondo means another world" she explained regaining her breath.

"What?" Gray shout going paler while a cold shiver stabbed him in the gut. Juvia was hit by an arrow, the arrow was poisoned,there was no antidote and its name was a shitty suggestive name. Just great!

"I didn't find too much in the books I brought here!I need to go to the council to consult more books" Levy explained- "However I don't think Altromondo refers literally to another world, we don't know the meaning, yet!

Gray punched one of the iron poles with all his strength. Why?

Why always the people he loved?

"Gray, as Levy said we don't know what it really means!" Mira said placing a hand on Gray's shoulder.

He shook his head "I'm sorry I… I know! I'm calm now! Can I stay here alone for a bit?" he asked.

All the mages stepped out of the tent giving Gray a bit of time. Gajeel stayed a bit longer inside but then left too.

Gray knelt beside Juvia taking both her hands in his, blowing air with his mouth to warm them a bit more.

"I'm sorry!" He whispered – "It is all my fault, I left you again! I want to protect you and yet, I always make it worse for you. I don't know what is happening but please! Juvia please if you can hear me!Wake up! I thought that if I left you, you would be fine. But every time I am not with you, something happens too and I don't know what to do! It seems that you suffer my curse no matter what I do! Maybe just because you, care about me…" - He couldn't help his cheeks turning red saying this out loud. He, on instinct, brushed one strand of Juvia's hair from her forehead. She was so beautiful. She seemed so weak in this moment that he could feel his heart tightening "I just want to keep you safe! Please,Juvia, wake up! Come back to me"

He really didn't expect this to happen but he heard a little moan and when he looked at her face, purple marks started to appear tracing the path of her veins.

"Juvia." He shouted and the others came inside alarmed by his scared voice .

Gray was frozen.

It all happened in a blur.

Mira shouted.

Juvia coughed and started to shake.

Cana took her hands while Gajeel took her feet keeping them in place.

Then all went still.

Gray had his eyes wide opened. Fear was written all over his feature. He was shaking too,but then she lifted her lids and she focused her eyes on him. He rushed to her side

"Gray?" She whispered sitting on the bed while he helped her, and never in his life he had felt so glad to hear his name.

"Yes,Yes, I am here! I won't leave you anymore!"He said brushing her hair from her forehead, checking her face and hugging her with all his might.

She was back. She was back. The pure joy he was feeling in that moment was enough to make him forget all his fear and all the eyes that were on him. She was back and she was in his arms and this was all that mattered.

"Jeez, I need air! Why are you so clingy?" She said in a short breath

"I'm sorry. What?" He said blinking and looking at Juvia right in the eyes. Concern and confusion wrote all over his features.

"You know what a fucking personal space is?" She said tracing a circle in the air with her finger, all around herself- "Because if you do, you are totally invading mine! So.. Please.." She pushed him.

Saying that Gray was confused would be a bullshit. He was beyond lost..but he made a step back as she asked to.

"Juvia, are you ok?" Mira asked

"Sure! You think it takes only a fucking arrow to kill Juvia of the Great sea, honey?"

"Honey?" Mira repeated

"Juvia, did you maybe, lost your memory?" Levy asked.

"The fuck you saying? You are Levy! Then there is Cana, Iron shit Gajeel, Mira and Liz! Yo Liz, you ok?"

"Yes, I suppose" Lisanna shuttered

"Ok, you know who we are it seems!" Cana pointed out.

"Why are you all behaving like I am an idiot?" Juvia asked confused passing a hand in her hair.- "Sure that I know who you are, we are in the same guild!" She attested.

"Yes," Mira smiled - "and what about him?" The demon asked pointing to Gray that seemed still very shocked about the lack of attention from the water mage.

"It's Gray! Gray annoying Fullbuster!" Who else?" Juvia huffed.

Gray almost choked on his saliva. "How did you called me?"

"Oh come on, I don't remember a single day of my life where you were not there next to me! I mean I can protect myself, you know?While you are always there trying to save me and this bullshit like you are my knight in shining armour. Go find another damsel, Fullbuster! You are annoying and sticky!" Juvia said rolling her eyes as this was a conversation she was tired about.

"First of all, I am not sticky nor annoying" Gray said pouting "and you are the one that is always all over me"

"Yeah sure, is this what happens in your dreams?" Juvia grinned

"What? I.." Gray was speechless. Well, it was true that she was in his dreams, these days more than ever, so it was not like he could deny it.

"So, Ameonna! You're a bitch now?" Gajeel laughed

"Don't call me Ameonna idiot or I will Rip your spine from your mouth. Liz bring me a beer please!" Juvia said "and Why the fuck I am so covered up? It's hot as damn!" And with this, she started to push the sheets off her body giving a full view of all her underwear glory.

"Better!" she said.

Gejeel muttered something deciding to turn his head while Gray found himself unable to unglue his eyes from her body. Juvia rarely showed her body and she was never bold like this.

"I know you like what you are seeing Fullbuster but make me a favour and turn your head or I will make you blind if you keep that perverted look!" the water mage said.

"I was not...I mean..." Gray muttered feeling his ears getting warmer.

"This sure is strange!" Cana said, not without a note of amusement in her voice.

"She called me Liz," Lisanna said, "Juvia never calls me this way,but there was a time, I mean…there was another Juvia that used to call me Liz!"

"Eureka!" Levy shouted.

"What Shrimp?" Gajeel said, "Can you fix her?"

Gray looked at Levy expectantly.

"No," she said sadly-"but I think I know what happened! That potion: Another world, I mean, that mage couldn't know but we do! We know what is it!"

"Ok you are giving me a headache, explain yourself Shrimp!" Gajeel interrupted her monologue and Levy tried to make things clear: "The potion, it opens a bridge to another world! A small part of what "anima" could do, maybe! This is why the potion had different effects on people! Even if I think there is more, I will do researchers but for now, I believe Juvia's personality shifted from her normal self to…"

"No way!" Gray shouted

"I knew it! Only her called me Liz!" Lisanna said.

"Let me understand!" Mira interrupted "our Juvia has Edolas Juvia personality now?"

"You are so fucked Gray!" Cana laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Let me put this straight" Lucy said with her eyebrows knitted together". She is Juvia but she has her Edolas counterpart personality, well sort of…right?"

"Cool" Natsu said between a vomit and the other

"No This is not cool at all, idiot!" Gray grunted in frustration.

"Ok, but you said she does not feel the same about you..so why she is here?" Lucy inquired

"Isn't it obvious? Juvia said opening the cabin door and leaning her back on the wall. "There's no way I would stay in a B something when I am an S rank! Enough with the talking here we have work to do!"  
She gestured Lucy and the others to dispersed.

"Bossy..isn't she?" Mest smirked

Juvia went outside  
The air ruffled her hair and she welcomed the strong scent of the sea in her nostrils. She went to the wheel deck where Erza was running the ship that would bring them to the West continent.

"I read the itinerary, so do you plan to arrive in 10 days?" She asked

"Yes and because of the incident on Caracalla we have Storage only for 7 days, maybe 8" Erza sighted

"Good, coz we will arrive there in 5 days!" Juvia said proudly

"And how?" Gray asked coming close with his arms crossed on his torso. It was a couple day that he felt a bit nervous... Not at all because Juvia was treating him like he didn't exist.. No! He was, just maybe a bit worried. Yes, because Levy was still searching information about this Altromondo potion.

"'Cos I am not one that follows the route, honey! Take a look!" Juvia said taking off slowly and theatrically her heels: two fingers on the zip going slowly down from her knee to her ankle. Then she started to move her hips rhythmically letting her miniskirt fall down. Finally, she freed herself from her blue shirt throwing it right in Gray's face.  
He was looking at her.  
She was standing there in a mini bath suit, smirking confident and looking directly at the sun.  
She was beautiful but a sense of sickness shoot him in the gut and he had to deflect his eyes

Then with a fluid movement, she climbed on the balustrade

"The hell are you doing?"Gray shouted running toward her in the pure instinct of holding her

"I already said I don't need a savior! Didn't II?" She said and then she jumped.

Gray kept his breath looking down.  
She entered the water from her head flowing in with the grace of a butterfly in the air.  
She emerged and then submerged herself disappearing in the blue.

Gray kept looking until a Geyser splashed from the sea to the ship's deck minutes later

The water recomposed in a female figure, translucent and shiny that was slowly taking the familiar shape of his Nakama: her peculiar shade of Blue hair, her big eyes, her tiny nose, her full lips, the curve of her neck, her bare shoulders and then…  
"Juvia your suit!" Erza pointed out looking exactly in the same place where Gray's gaze had stopped "I think you have lost it the sea"

Juvia laughed "yeah I developed a strange habit recently," she said glancing in Gray's direction that instead started looking to the floor finding really interesting the draws of the wood. "Well, it's nothing he hadn't seen before!"

"He what?" Erza shouted with fire in her eyes.

It took him half an hour to explain Erza that he did not act like a pervert during the time they lived together.. Well not to the point she had in mind but this not saved him from taking a really long lesson about responsibility and condoms and flowers and pollination…

Embarrassing! Even worse, Juvia was there: listening and laughing her ass off. Fueling Erza's rage with tales about the most embarrassing moments of their six months together. Like when Gray joined her for breakfast totally naked. Or when Gray had fallen asleep on the couch, next to Juvia and in the morning he was all wrapped around her like an edera, naked of course! When he entered her shower while She was still there or the day he put on the first thing he could find and it was Juvia lingerie…

So mean to tell Erza all of this! But what pissed him, even if, he would tell himself he was upset because it was mean, was that Juvia was telling all this stuff without a trace of her old self. Gray could almost see in his mind the dreamy mess she was every time something embarrassing happened, how cute she turned with her eyes bigger and her cheeks like red apples… But not now... She was just saying all these things to piss him and it was working.

Juvia swung her way to the cabins but Gray threw her his shirt "there" he said before giving her his back trying to hide a frown. There really was no need for her to go around like this. But He was the last that could talk about going around with your ass on the display.

Gray felt two hands on his bare skin and just for a moment a familiar feeling washed over him but as soon as it came it went away when she said: "come on, don't be jealous, the water has no owner you know?" Pushing him and leading her way far from him.

She was Juvia but nothing she did seemed her anymore. She was confident, she laughed a lot but not in her usual earnest way, she was distant and cold

"Juvia is right" Erza said looking on the map at the changes she had written, "following a different route and taking advantage of the sea currents we could really manage to reach our destination in 5 days"

This news what was it needed to decide and throw a little party! They were prepared to defer the food and suffer the hunger but now they had enough and maybe eating it all together in a night seemed less of a stupid idea at that moment.

Gray was not that hungry and left all the fun to Natsu.

Juvia was sitting with her long legs crossed and a strapless top that revealed too much of her cleavage every time she bent down to took one olive and curl her tongue around it before eating it. She was explaining Mest how it is easy to detect the right path to follow when you can let your body feel the flows.  
Gray had this urge of rolling his eyes. If he didn't know her he would think she was flirting. Wait. He didn't know her! At least not this version of her.

He covered the distance in three long steps and took Juvia by her elbow.  
"Can we talk?"

"Jeez, you are annoying you know?"

Gray eyed her. If she wanted to play a Game in who was the stubborn one between them, he would not give her his staff.

"Fine, fine!" She said throwing her hair off her shoulder in annoyance and following him outside

"Aren't you cold?" He said while the wind of the night filled the sails and sang against the sea.

"well you just throw away my chance of warming the night, or maybe you spare me a session dressed as a Lolita" she said smirking.

He felt his jaw tense but decided against saying something about that.  
"I think you should worry a bit more about the potion that made you like this!"

"Really? I think you should mind more your business!" She answered

"Juvia This is not you!" He nearly shouted

"I'll give you a juicy gossip! This is exactly me!" She said way too calmly

"No, it is not! And we don't even know if that potion could have others side effects!" He tried to reason, but the hand that kept passing through his hair suggested his frustration.

" I don't care!" She said slowly stretching her arms and leaning her back against the wooden railing.

"Juvia!" He called her "we don't know if this could hurt you. I won't let.." He groaned looking at the dark above them

Juvia let out a heart full laugh and he looked at her puzzled "you will not let what? Me to get hurt? Look I know we lived together for a while but it was not as we were some kind of thing, we were just sharing a place to save money, so don't feel like you have something to do with me. You are not responsible for nothing, so it is fine if you stop worry and leave me alone"

She sat on the edge of the balcony, her feet hanging in the air

Gray took her wrist forcing her to face him

"You know it's not like this!" He whispered getting closer but she freed her hand and smirking she mount the balustrade and surpassed it, keeping herself pushed out toward the sea like the mermaid on the prow of a pirate ship.

"How it is then?" She asked and Gray tried to take her by the waist to keep her closer to the ship, preventing her from falling but said nothing.

She laughed again looking at his face where she could easily detect that he was at war with himself.

"You said that the potion could hurt me but you know what? I think I Will be fine instead! I don't understand it well now but I remember you know?" She said turning, her feet of the external side of the ship looking him right in the eyes "I remember every time you pushed me away and I remember how that hurt. I remember the blind hope and the feeling I had when it was shattered every time, only to glue the pieces together a moment later and see it destroyed all over again. I remember the feeling of emptiness that made me sick of life when you disappeared. I remember the stupid feeling of relieve when I saw you and the pain of keeping all about myself and pushing it into a corner to make a place for anything you could give. I remember how it hurt and I am sorry if in this moment your ego is not pleased with my behavior but I think no side effect could hurt more than that so I think I'll be fine! Thank you!"

Gray said nothing looking at her wide eyed, stopping on his purpose of taking her back on the ship.  
She helped herself and with her usual fluidity she jumped in again.

He watched, his fists closed on his sides while she smiled looking at the dark sky.

"We will save the master and then we will come back, we will restart our lives and I will take care of My situation" She said and it was like she was stabbing his chest with a knife in this silent statement that whatever would happen in this new start she wanted them to have nothing to do with each other.

He just nodded "Fine." he muttered "you were the one saying that I have to mind my business so do as you want," he said and even while his own words left his lips he could feel how wrong they seemed and how they expressed exactly the opposite of what he wanted to say.

Like a child that loses his most precious treasure but says he hated it instead of crying.

She smiles coldly "Well I'm going to bed now, so if you don't plan to join me for a bit of mere fun then see ya" she smiled again.

She was smiling way too much and if in the past months her smile was what haunted his nights while he was far from her, he could not recognize anything of her smile in those ones she was throwing around.

The cold breeze hit him in the face when she left. Maybe she was right. Maybe she really would be fine in this way! Keeping her far from his cursed life wasn't what he had asked for her a thousand times? He could just let her be as she asked and they both would restart a life as she had said. They could see each other, go on missions and no others complications. It was easier and it seemed the right solution for both of them. Then why thinking about this hurt so much?


	3. Chapter 3

Honestly, who cared?

She was strong, badass, respected. No one in her guild dared to look at her for one second longer because she would just delete their whole existence with a single glare! A look so empty, so cold, so frightening, like she could just do everything because she had nothing to lose, and Oh man, this gives power! She was just like this before everything changed before He changed everything!

After that damn day in which the rain stopped she became weak, powerless, a look in his eyes and all she saw was an angel, kind, lighter than a feather that suddenly made her want what she never dared to ask to her torment of life: love under a clear sky.

When she opened her eyes, for the first time after their battle, she felt heavy with the weight of her bad choices. She had always told herself that there were no right or bad choices, just things that you make to keep on living. Whatever this means, whatever it takes. That she was just one in the crowd, that what she did didn't matter, that people were just mean. Everybody had been mean to her so..what if she just did return a bit of that shit?

Then there was him, and he was just so fucking perfect that in that moment she wished to be special too. She wanted to be the right girl, she tried her best, and she was ready to give her whole, piece by piece. She wanted whatever he wanted and it felt right. She became someone that thinks that actions could really make a difference in the world, like she used to think when she was just a little girl, before life had presented her "kindness" to her, how naive!

Who was she trying to fool? No matter how much she tried, she kept mistaking. Doing too less or too much, because she had never had an example of how to love or to be loved, and it was just too clear to everyone what she was, just a creep. An interference that tries to fit in a scene but it is just out of place. She did not belong with clear skies! She was born under the heavy rain and she belonged with pounding sorrow. Love is just an ominous spell that fogs your mind with hopes and promises and then left you drained.

Luckily, another spell had broken that one, every promise was broken, the hopes were lost in numbs.

even so, who cared?

From now on, he would not be anything to care about, not in the past, nor in the future!

Juvia sighed a deep breath. There was just an empty street now above and she needed to recompose herself as a whole. Without the stupid feelings for Gray that had pushed her to that point. She wanted something truly hers.

So why she was even thinking about him?

"Enough" she said to herself

"Enough what?" a voice that she recognized said

"Mmmm well, enough with this bullshit that the Alvarez empire has the strongest mages! I'll make them see what a water mage can do next to the ocean!"

"I'm proud you are so eager to show your strength Juvia but we have to remember that our enemies are tough so this is just a mission to save the master, we will try to keep fights to the lowest rate!"

"Yah sure Master Erza!" Juvia said a bit too formally. Not that nobody has to know this but she kinda had an intellectual crush on Erza…well who wouldn't? Erza Titania Scarlet is just too awesome and she has always respected her a lot! Even when she was in Phantom her role model as a class S mage was Erza Scarlet.

For a second Erza looked hurt like when she opens the fridge only to find that she has already eaten all her cakes "so it is like this? do You really hate me now?"

"Wh.. what?" Juvia stammered

"Look Juvia! I know it was my fault! I know I made you suffer so please punish me! I'll take every castigation knowing that I deserve it because I have been the one that come with the true love, ruining your period of blessing in each other company!"

"I think I lost myself at some point!" Juvia said with flared nostrils "Why do you think I am angry at you?"

"because it was my fault if Gray left you"

"oh Yes that… Well, it's Ok now! I see now that I just overreacted! No big deal, really!" the water mage said gesturing with her hands

Erza knit her brows " Love it's always a big deal Juvia! No matter how little a thing seems to someone but that same little thing for someone else could mean the world. So I should have considered that even a week without knowing where Gray was, would be hell for you and I let this happen for six months! So I wanna give you my apologies and telling you that I know for sure that there was no day that Gray hadn't thought about you!"

"yeah sure!" Juvia answered a bit too bitterly, clicking her tongue and rolling her eyes.

Frankly, an automatic reflex because she didn't care at all about what the annoying stripper did during his time. She was not mad at him! She didn't care. Plain and simple.

"Juvia, we had a signal! I had spies that watched your home be sure that nobody could come to you! Gray and I, we could communicate through light signal with assigned meanings of one of those were "is she safe?" and it passed no night in which he didn't ask me "is she safe?"

"So there were spies uh! I knew that that milk boy seemed suspicious with that strange cloak. Once I even saw him steal my neighbor's bottle to bring it to me… I mean, the fuck are you the Robin Hood of milk?"

Erza looked straight in Juvia's eyes and took her hands in hers. "He would do anything to be sure that you are safe Juvia; he cannot lose someone else, and not you!

Juvia slowly untangled her hands with a disgusted face "Uhm Well.. good for him that I have a lot of conservation instinct so. I guess!

Erza just smiled warmly and excused herself saying that she had things to do before their arrival.

Juvia wanted to smash her face on the balcony. This had been a hell of an awkward conversation. Why the damn Erza felt the need to talk with her about Gray?

Gray, Gray, Gray

Him again!

"Get out of my head!" she said out loud pulling her hair in her fits

"Who?" another voice said coming to the balcony

"Who what?" Juvia asked

"Who is in your head?" Lucy grinned smugly

"Um… well… Chris Evans! I saw a movie few days ago and I cannot forget his interpretation…"

"Really ?" Lucy said all smiley studying her face

Damn Juvia hated Lucy's eyes. They were so big and clear that when she was looking at you there was no way to escape them…

"The hell you want? Haven't you a beauty sleeping schedule or bullshit like this?" Juvia asked looking to the sky full of stars.

Lucy laughed bitterly "a lot changed during this past year and my sleeping habits for sure"

Juvia sighed, "Please no heart to heart conversations! I think I could throw up!"

"So you really changed uh?"

"It seems! But it's not like I know what the fuck changed! I mean I have my memories and until Phantom lord I can understand myself. Ok maybe I was a bit gloomier but a normal person. Then everything changed and became disgusting pink! It is like seeing a shit movie with an idiot as main characters that keeps doing nonsenses and bullshits about love! Ok, I think I would puke now!"

"You never were an idiot Juvia! It requires strength to love someone as much as you do and to stay faithful to your feelings no matter what!"

"I did"

"What?" Lucy said looking at Juvia's face, to discover a deep frown on her face

"You said to love as much as you Do…but it is a feeling long gone"

"Uh well sure!" Lucy smirked, "This new you is done with Gray!"

"Yeah as I said"

"As you said" Lucy repeated

"Look you are pissing me, blonde so I call myself out!"

"Night Juv" Lucy smiled softly and for a strange reason, Juvia smiled back only to return her grumpy normal self the second after.

My fucking god why the hell no one could talk to her without saying the G name? She did not revolve around that idiot!

She opened the door of the cabin and she hit a hot mess that was running like an idiot "The hell?"

"Sorry, Juvia!" Natsu said running over the place "have you seen Lucy? She is not in her room! I know it because I ninja ambushed her, but she was not in her bed!"

"Look I really don't need to know what you two made at night or how you role-play, Lucy is outside, however!"

Natsu grinned and his whole face seemed to glow. The idiot here really was head over heels. Well, his problem to deal with!

Seeing his smile she too felt a bit better. He really was easy to tag along, always so open and friendly. Again the same little warm feeling that was in her belly while she talked with Erza and Lucy came out.. like these people meant something to her, but it was not like this! She was in that guild because that guy was there, she was not really a part of that group and probably if it was not because of him they would have been total strangers.

Well at the end of this mission, however, she would try to find her own path. No strippers, no dramas, no feelings!

Natsu came running backward "Yo Juvia Gray is the kitchen, however, tell the bastard to do not sleep naked! I don't wanna see his…"

"yeah yeah I get it, but why the hell I have to tell him?" she nearly shouted. Seriously Gray again? She could explode at this point!

"cos you are the only one he listens to, well Erza too but because she is scary!"

"AAAAAM NOOOOOT! I Have nothing to do with him!" she shouted but Natsu was already gone!

She swears that if someone else said the name Gray in her presence before she reached her bed she would snap!

She could do it! There were only a three meters walk to her room and then she would be safe

One meter…

Two meters…

Her hand was reaching the doorknob and….

"hey Juvia!" a deep voice said

She sighed, this was even worse

She turned slowly only to see her nightmare right in front of her with messy dark hair, no shirt, a worried expression and the puffy eyes of someone that doesn't sleep from days.. and this is supposed to be bad. Who the fuck looks this good sleep-deprived? Apparently someone

"Juvia" he repeated softly trying to reach for her arm but she was faster

"You know what? Fuck you Gray!" she shouted slamming the door to his.. fucking hot face!


	4. Chapter 4

chapter 4

"Juvia, come on open this door" he said knocking at her door for the nth times "please" he added really softly hoping that this magic could work without her listening to his pleading.

This story was going out of hand. He knew he was acting like a fool but what else could he do? His mind kept going over and over in the same place, to her! His brain was full of "what if" and he didn't like this feeling of being powerless and weak. She was still under that fucking curse and there were no news from Levy but this did not mean he had to stay there with his hands in his hair doing nothing, at least, this was the conclusion he reached after hours of sulking with his hand in his hair, body spread on the table in the kitchen.

This was not him. He was a man of action so when she passed storming in front of the room yelling who knows what to Natsu he just took this as a sign and went behind her only to be sent to hell a second later... Well better than being ignored as she did for the last three days

Juvia sighs, he was still behind that door and part of her was really pissed because he just couldn't listen and stay the fuck out of her life… but there was something in the lowest part of her stomach that told her that she was missing something.

She told herself that she was not a drama queen and this situation was really too cliché so she had to open that door just to get rid of him and be free to go sleeping, so she took a breath and a quick glance to the mirror adjusting her messy hair with her hands and then took the handle.

"Would you please stop bothering me?" she told him as soon as her eyes met his

"Nope" was his only answer then she was closing the door but he was faster in putting a foot in the door frame

"The fuck?" she said

"This is just a payback for all the time you refused to leave me alone! My turn to be annoying!" he simply said pulling the door opened and going in

"You still are a neat freak uh?" he observed taking a glance at her room

"Am not, I am a normal person, it is just you that like to live in the house have been robbed"

"Yup but look at the bright side, our house has never been robbed because of this" he smiled

"Yay because they thought someone already did it"

She suspected that the mention of their house was made on purpose but she let the thing drop...

"So what do you want?" she said cutting their silly conversation "if you are here to tell me something about the potion or me not being myself I swear I will.."

"No" he admitted and for a strange reason, she had the impression he was blushing a bit "I just wanted to talk"

"My god" she whispered, "do you miss me?"

"What?" "NO way" he said too soon and with the voice too acute "it's just something you said, that after this battle you will..you know?" he didn't finish the sentence. The only thought was.. stupid.

"I will try to find my own place and not steal yours, yes!" She confirmed

"Well, this is just dumb! You already are in your place, with.. well the guild, us"

Juvia laughed, typical of Gray, he always brought up this same shit, she was in his guild, his Nakama, his whatever, but he never had the balls to just claim her Really his and this game was getting old. Not that it matters to her anymore

 _So she decided just to play a bit._

She turned her back to him and with a hand moved her hair to one side

"Don't wanna talk anymore, just wanna change and sleep, can you shut up and help me?" she said looking at him from her shoulder being sure of biting her lips in the process

"Yes" he breathed and she could swear she could see something burn deep in his eyes.

 _But It was nothing like playing with fire. He was a man made of ice._

He took the zip of her shirt in his fingers being sure to do not touch her in any way and started to pull it down but as soon as he saw a glimpse of the skin of her back he could feel his blood run hotter in his veins.

This was not the first time he felt like this, living with her for months had been a blessing and a torment. A blessing because he could know her as nobody else, see truly her, without the superstructure she always put on to impress him, he didn't need to be impressed, he liked to see her every time she was not aware that he was looking. To see her singing in the kitchen, dancing to a song only she had in mind while she cleaned the house, listening to the silly stories she told to the plants in their garden, because someone had told her that plants grow stronger if they feel themselves loved and she was so damn good in making things feel loved.. he liked to see her dressed in large shirt all rumble after the night, with the messy hair she woke up with, before she put so many efforts into fixing it.

Like she could read his mind or because following his thought he was playing with a strand of her blue waves, she started to smooth her hair with her hands

This was the torment: he liked to be in control of everything, every move of his was always planned, considered, but not with her! The more time he spent with her the more she seemed to put everything out of his control and he didn't like what he do not understand unless.. he liked this feeling! Because of this, he hated it at the same time. It really was a mess. He had a goal in life, he swore to always be strong but when she turned her head to look at him wetting her lips he felt weak.

 _..but even Ice can burn_

Gray's hand took a grip on her hips from behind, his palm flat on her stomach, while the other hand went through her hair, to her neck.

She gasped. They already played this game and she went out burned to ashes. When he left she felt consumed to her very core, but not this time. This time was her turn, and when the rain is set on fire there is just one possible finale: apocalypse.

His lips were light on her skin but they burned in place with the contrast of his cold breath with her.

She turned abruptly to look in his eyes and he seemed lost and scared. She could see that he already regretted just that light connection, but this was not enough. This time, he would be the one burned. She wanted him to feel her pain and this was exactly what she knew would destroy him.

It was a turmoil of feeling the ones inside of her. She knew deeply that in any way she could really hurt him, not him! And yet she felt desperate to make him feel something about her, she wanted him to feel as she felt even if just for a moment. Maybe he was right, the potion had done something because she still felt herself but different, like at some point she had lost all the hope that kept her sane and now she was lost.

His hands were still firm on her so she just rolled her hips to make him aware. It worked. She could feel his fingers rose and curl grasping the tissue of her shirt while his lips were again on her neck when she turned her head to the side to give him space.

His locks were brushing her skin and she reached his nape trapping her fingers in his hair pulling them a bit so he made one of his deep noises that she knew so well. She took advantage of that moment to turn around and do to him the same thing he was doing to her, so she brushed her lips at the base of his neck going slowly up and down and savoring his taste with the tip of her tongue.

He tightened his grasp on her.

God, she loved how strong he was and the way he made her feel fragile and protected. "fuck" she hissed with a choked voice. Her mind was set to take her vengeance but her body seemed to follow a different way and was melting under the touch she, apparently, missed.

But not this time, nor ever again. He was done with taking everything about her and leave her empty.

With that moment of anger, she bit his neck expecting him to storm away like he always did when things turned too much for him. But this time, he didn't and seemed ignited with a wave of something she had never seen before.

When her teeth scraped his neck he felt something boil inside of him and It was like he was getting crazy, her scent all around, the softness of her skin, her hot breath, he felt like drowning slowly knowing that only Juvia could save him unless she was the one keeping his head underwater. It didn't matter what she said, it didn't matter if now she acted like he was nothing and claim to be different, she smelled like Juvia and tasted like Juvia to him and in that moment he just wanted her. He was being selfish because maybe she was right and this was her chance to have a life without him but he didn't want her to. He didn't know what this feeling was. He still couldn't put a name on it but he knew what he needed right there.

She felt her feet being lifted from the floor. Like she weights nothing he had raised her from her buttock and now his lips were on hers, fervent and demanding. When the tips of his tongue found hers she had to fight the urge to moan but she lost. Every caress of his tongue in her mouth was like a tidal wave that caused her to sink deeper and deeper and there she was, clutching at his shirt with her legs tight around him, letting him do whatever he wanted.

She tried to recompose herself and with all her strength she pushed him until his back was on the wall, cornered. Then she kissed him with all her might, just to prove the point that she was not at his mercy, he was at hers.

Gray felt like burning, never in his life he had experienced something so urgent, this blind need. In that moment, while she kissed him, with such force and with her hands exploring his chest he thought he would surrender to everything she wanted but he couldn't, not when he needed her to understand that he was worth her. That he could be as strong as she was. He slid the already opened shirt exposing her shoulder and brought his mouth to follow the path of her collarbones.

She trembled under his lips and he had to fight the urge to smile. This was what he needed. He just wanted to feel her, to look at her, to taste her and he breathed in her scent losing himself. He was sure that if he had the nose of a dragon slayer he would have died happy right there because her proximity and her sweet rainy smell were intoxicating as he was under a spell.

He could feel his face flustered when she throw her shirt to the floor and started to play with his, lifting it and taking her time touching slowly every cranny of his body. Then angrily she tore it apart letting it hung at his side.

She knew she was going too fast for him, she was doing it on purpose in a dangerous game she cold not totally understand. She expected him to be upset or to be scared and run but again, he didn't. It was like he was on fire and everything she made was gasoline to that combustion.

With a single snap of his fingers, he loosened her bra pushing it off his way and he brought his hand exactly were both wanted it. They had never gone this far because usually he would just feel tormented with the fear of letting her too close but, this time was different because he was so fucking selfish. His hands closed around her breast and she gasped throwing her head back. Every moan was a melody he could not be tired of listening.

"I'm sorry!" he said regaining his composure just for a moment "I never wanted to leave you, I just wanted you to be safe because I am…"

"Don't!" she warned him "I don't wanna hear nothing right now!"

She couldn't take it, not now! She was already struggling to stop the duel inside herself. The unruly willing to let him win and the feeling that she just wanted him to know that she could still control her life, that she could stop at any moment…that she was done with losing herself to him. She could stop whenever she wanted…

He kissed her again, softly this time with both his hands on her face, feeling his way from her neck to her chest, taking again her softness in his palm. He gained a moan and this gave him the courage to keep going.

He lifted her, bringing her to her bed and letting her fall on the mattress. He looked at her for a second, she was beautiful with her fair, flawless skin, her blue messy hair spread all over the pillow, her watery eye, and her red lips. He just couldn't ignore how his heart was beating as crazy while she looked at him. He kissed her lips, her neck, the valley between her breasts, her abdomen, going down while his hands were making circles on the soft skin of her inner tights, raising slowly.

Every time he had thought about this in his mind, and it had happened a lot of time, it always ended in the same way, at some point he felt guilty, because he was dragging her in his cursed life and he couldn't go on because in his mind it was wrong and dangerous and it was like hell's gate could open at her feet and took her away from him.

Unless now, it felt like he was finally doing the right thing, it felt so natural and so fucking good that in no way something bad could come from this. And if hell would open at some point he was sure in this moment that he would have the strength to just shut it down and that Juvia would be at his side. Fighting alongside with him.

Why hadn't he realized this sooner? They were stronger together.

Right in that moment he stopped his ministration and she thought he was finally back in himself so she just was taken off guard when he kissed her again, in the sweetest way she could imagine, with his hand behind her head.

When he opened his eyes he was looking at her in a way that just made her stomach to knot and her mind to get dizzy. No one had ever looked at her with such affection. She could not prevent how it was like to be looked in that way so she just passed her hands on his cheeks tracing his profile with her fingers and asking herself if he was real.

He chuckled taking her hand in his and kissing it like a prince in an old movie. Then he kissed her nose and, lightly her lips a multitude of times.

Her head was spinning more and more at each contact of their naked skins and she was in the twilight zone, losing the perception of what was real and what wasn't so she didn't process her answer when he asked her "Tell me you won't leave me, Juvia" and she said in a shaky voice "yes, yes Gray sama"

He opened his eyes wide at the mention of the familiar addition of his name smiling as it was the Christmas eve's night but then it all happened too soon.

She looked at him lost, confused and…scared.

"Go away" she nearly screamed

"What?" he said confused while she threw his shirt in his face and kicked him off the bed

"I said Go. Away. Gray!" this time her voice was cold and distant but seemed hurt in someway so he just made a step back looking concerned "Juvia, what have I done? I.. sorry. I don't know what to say.. shit…I" he babbled pulling the hair on his nape with both hands.

"I don't wanna hear nothing, please just go away!" she said pushing him until he was out of her cabin and locking her door.

Gray stayed there dumbfounded trying to understand what had just happened and If the sound she had made when she had closed the door had been a sob.


	5. Chapter 5

It was almost 3 in the morning when Juvia heard Erza shout and hit something followed by the distinct voice of Gray complaining and then running for his life…

Apparently, when Erza was finally done with her work and was ready to go in her room for a decent amount of sleep, she had tripped on Gray's body, that was spread on the floor right outside Juvia's room. It was not difficult to imagine why Erza was beating him up to a pulp, thanks to his routine of sleeping totally naked..not that Juvia was bothered by this when they lived together! Now, however, it was totally another story…she didn't felt the same about him…no! Not at all. Yet the memory of his perfect body is not something that can easily leave your mind…is like a fucking hot branding. Once you saw him in all his glory is just too difficult to forget how perfect, well shaped… Ook enough!

She could not think about this, especially not now! After having spent two fucking hours crying her eyes out. Not because she was sad, obviously. Juvia Lockser was a bad ass bitch, the strongest female in Phantom Lord, she was Juvia of the Great sea… and girls like this don't cry. Right? She was angry! That's all!

She was so angry with herself for God's sake! What the hell of a plan it was to push herself or him to that point? What did she want to prove? She was just falling, all over again, in his gravity and she felt so stupid!

And confused, because no matter how many times she had repeated herself that, what had happened with Gray meant nothing to her, she just kept feeling his scent all over her room…and she kept nudging her nose in the pillow where his smell was stronger.. and every fucking time she closed her eyes she could see his damn smirk on his fucking perfect lips and the soft look in his eyes and.. for all the Seven seas she could swear she could still feel his touch all over her skin! Was this possible?

Juvia complained in the pillow kicking her legs in the air. Shit shit shit. This was all stupid Gray's fault!

Moreover, why the hell at 3 am he was sleeping outside her room? She thought that after half an hour of him knocking at her door and her simply ignoring him, he gave up and went away but apparently Gray was not a quitter. She should not find this kind of cute.

"What an idiot! Sleeping there! Idiot!" she kept muttering to herself finally closing her eyes

In the morning she woke up soon, today was the day they had finally to touch land. She dressed comfortable in her blue top and miniskirt, rolling her stockings to her tights and getting into her heels.

She spent a few minutes more than usual, to be sure that her wavy hair fell down nicely and when they looked exactly as she wanted it to, perfectly framing her small face, she grunted at herself and she put it in a messy ponytail.

With a frown and the walk of a soldier, she went in the kitchen giving a general Good morning.

He was already there and he nearly fell his chair in his rush to stand up and walk toward Juvia

She did not give him a second look.

Natsu instead started to swear as a real sailor when Gray's chair hit his foot.

"Hey ice prick you can't even move your ass without be annoying"

"It's not my fault if during this year you grow the feet of a Yeti and from the smell I bet you didn't wash them not even once!" Gray answered looking piss. Screw was his plan to talk to Juvia.

"Eat your words ice bastard! I bet you are the one that can't take care of himself and Juvia had to babysit you the whole time while now I am a man!" said Natsu closing his fists in front of Gray's face

At each sentence, they went closer and closer to each other, fuming from their heads while Juvia decided to ignore them and sat at the table where Lucy kept eating her cereals, just rolling her eyes from time to time.

"As if… I can even perfectly manage a house now, I can wash the dishes, I can take the trash out all the evenings, I learned how to set the table, tell him Juvia!" Gray said way seriously and she nearly choked on her saliva

"Well, I can cook" Natsu answered, "Lucy tell him, tell him about the dinner I made for you last week!"

Now it was Lucy time to choke on her milk and spilling cereals from the mouth with her cheeks as red apples.

"So? Me too I can cook and Juvia even taught me how to sew! I could make a fucking Natsu plushie now if I would, but I would never do something this horrible!"

"I bet you don't know anything about preparing a hot bath, you chill bastard! Lucy loves how warm I make the water and she even let me join her in the tub sometimes"

"It's not like that!" Lucy shouted standing "we use swimsuit!"

"Well, I bet you can't do a proper massage without crushing Lucy's bones while Juvia always enjoyed mines after the training!" Gray yelled punching Natsu in the face

"ENOUGH!" Erza screamed entering the room and for the second time that day, Juvia felt relieved by Titania's intervention.

"I was trying to sleep a bit, what the hell you brats have to shout at this hour? Now make me a decent breakfast! I want cake!" she ordered massaging her temples

"aye!" they nodded and somehow the simple task of making breakfast became a cooking competition and they ended doing pancakes with frost chocolate and burnt sugar. Seeing the food in front of her Erza nearly cried at how much they had grown and how Juvia and Lucy were a really good influence on them both.

Juvia just rolled her eyes trying to get out of that mess, even if she had to admit it was funny to spend time with this people.

She shocked her head. She had already made up her mind to find a different place to stay after this mission. Save Makarov because she owned him this at least, and then she had to find her place.

"Ehi Juvia, don't you want some milk? I can easily do a cappuccino!" Natsu smiled

"No idiot, she never drinks milk in the morning, it makes her stomach make weird sounds!"

"Whoa, I bet not as weird as Lucy's when she eats pepperoni!" Natsu laughed and Lucy hit him in the forehead, pouting.

"Juvia there's tea if you want some" Gray said in a strange low voice and with big eyes, he reminds her of a puppy so she just sounded a curse trying to storm away but he was faster and took her arm, bringing her in a really small room, two doors ahead, checking around and closing the door.

"is this a closet?" she asked but he was lost in though

"Juvia hey…uhm." he said in a low voice passing both his hands in his hair "can we talk?"

She didn't answer and his face became even more worried "Look. I.. I'm sorry if yesterday I did something that made you uncomfortable.I would never.. I mean.. I spent the whole night thinking about what I could have done to upset you, but whatever it is, I'm sorry ok? I would never offend you so, please, tell me what I did wrong so I.."

Juvia was looking at his wide eyes.. he was shifting uncomfortably from one leg to another but seemed genuinely worried about her "modesty"

She laughed. "Don't 's not the physical part of our meeting that upset me! You did nothing wrong" she smirked

For a second he seemed relieved but then his expression grew even more confused "so why? What?.." he said touching her shoulder.

Juvia looked at his hand and to his finger that absent minded were stroking her skin and she just couldn't stand the annoying warmth in her stomach so she pulled back hitting an empty cupboard

He seemed hurt but then he looked at her as he had just realized something very important.

"if it's not the physical part then I.. look Juvia. I know I am a jerk and that I have been a jerk to you from day one but it is just that I am so bad with words.. but I will try..I…"

She was not following him anymore

"it's not that I don't feel what I feel.. I whoa.." he took a deep breath at this point "It's even way more huge than I could manage to say with words but.."

She was lost.. what the hell was he trying to say? And why he was so damn red? He was even rubbing his hands on his tights because apparently he was sweating. Well, it was hot inside that damn closet. Really hot.

"if you think that what I did yesterday was just a physical thing to me. well, it's not! I see that you think this and It's my fault because I have always been a jerk to you, trying to push you far from me, acting cold.. but I never did nor I would ever do something without.. you know… until now I was scared and yesterday I finally realized that all my fears are. I mean..you.. I.. fuck… I would never do something meaningless with you because you mean a lot to me, ok?"

She felt her cheek get warmer at each word and she could almost hear the sound of bells in the background but it was not the dreamy church bells, she have heard the first time she had laid her eyes on Gray's face, dreaming about their future of endless love. It was more like an alarm bell that told her that she had to interrupt him right now or else she would be in a very dangerous zone.

"Wait wait, Gray! Stop!" she said

"No!" he said stubborn, taking her hands in his and pulling her to him "I have done with lying and hiding, look Juvia I never wanted you in danger, I have always cared about you. I just wanted you to be happy and in my mind no one can be safe and happy with me around but now I..maybe I am only being selfish but I.."

He was close, so damn close, dangerously closed, closed enough for her to smell his scent and fuck! It was the kind of smell that can make all your body aware in a moment and, at the same time, lull you to close your eyes and sleep happily. She hated his heavenly scent! It made her lost her focus and maybe she made something, a weird noise probably that made him think that he could kiss her because next thing she knew his lips were on hers and she was clutching at his shirt for dear life. He started to feel up her hourglass silhouette reaching for her back. She hummed in his mouth and he lifted her making her sit on the cupboard counter. Her mind was trying to tell her that maybe it was wiser to push him or tell him to stop but her body did not cooperate at all. The only sounds that escaped her lips were appreciative sounds and instead of pushing him, her legs were tight around his hips. Traitors of a body!

He stopped and cupped her face, brushing with his finger the strand of hair that were in her eyes and she really couldn't stand the sight of his smiley face, big eyes, and pink cheeks so, just to leave him from her sight line, she closed her eyes and reached again for his lips, hugging his shoulder and gripping his hair.

"Juvia I know it took time but I really want to tell you that I…"

She had a sort of a déjà vu of the moment he was trying to tell her something on the battlefield of Crocus, right before a dragon shot and he never finished his sentence.

Again she heard a loud bang and Gray was fast in hug her, hiding her head under his and taking her firmly against his chest.

Then everything was upside down, she heard the loud crash of dishes on the floor, the crack of wood and she heard Natsu calling for Lucy and Erza shout "Action Station everyone!"

"Juvia," Gray said, pulling her from her hand and shutting open the door "We are under attack!"

"How did they know about us?" she asked while a second shot hit the ship "they were waiting for our arrival!"

"Don't know," he said running on the deck with Juvia "Erza we're here! Is everybody fine?"

Juvia spotted Natsu with Lucy and Happy. Mest was running the wheel trying to avoid the cannon balls

"Where are Wendy and Charle? She asked looking around

"I'll go find them!" Erza said but a hysterical laugh filled the air and with it a thick layer of dust surrounded the ship "Welcome to our country Fairies! I am part of the welcoming committee!" a voice said

"Who are you bastard?" Natsu shout with a broken voice, the dust in the air was making difficult to breathe for everyone and the dragon slayer was suffering the heavy swing of the ship.

"Relax I just come to say hello!" the voice said while the air started to vortex forming a male figure. He then started to play with something between his fingers "you know what I like about sand? Sand in hourglasses is used to sign time, and no one ever pays real attention to time, humans are easily distracted by events and times flows differently for everyone, but not for the sand. It keeps falling regularly and at some point, boom your hour has come. For example, I am here talking with you and distracting you and no one is paying attention to the sand flow..so my question is: do you think the time we spent together was enough for a little friend of yours to choke?" he laugh evilly and at his back emerged a fist made of sand. When he clapped his fingers, it collapsed revealing inside a white fur

"CHARLE?" Happy cried out loud while Lucy run toward the exceed taking her in her arms.

Charle started to cough desperate to breathe and everyone took a sigh of pleasure. She was alive but the relief came to an early end when she started to cry "That girl, she took Wendy!"


	6. Chapter 6

ch 6

Natsu, Lucy and the others kissed the land when they finally reached the shore.

Three hours.

They had spend three hours swimming deep in the ocean and no one would have make it if it wasn't for Juvia that provided a way to breath, for all of them, while she had also to constantly move the water, in order to keep the sand out of their way, or else that Ajeel guy would have found them in a blink of an eye and in the way they were, there really was no way they could fight someone with such power.

They were drained in their body and spirit.

Those guys, they had an amount of power that would make every battle impossible to win for them. They were beyond them in every move, they knew about their arrival, they were waiting and apparently they had a plan and the worse, they had Wendy.

Why Wendy?

Gray hissed a curse the same moment his mouth was free. Every inch of his body hurt as hell. He couldn't move a muscle but he used his last strength to lift her. Juvia collapsed the moment they were all safe, her body almost empty with magic.

Gray pulled her out of the water, to his body. His legs just wouldn't move anymore so he stayed there for a while with Juvia in his arms, brushing her wet hair from her forehead.

He was warried but he knew she was fine. She breathed, her cheeks were pale but warm and she had a light grip on his finger. She was a warrior and he knew.

If it wasn't for her! After their encounter with the two mages, a male and a female, Ajeel and Brandy, they knew there was not much they could do. They were Fairy Tail mages so obviously they would fight till the end but that girl had Wendy and this was their priority.

Natsu and Erza had managed to upset the guy while the green haired girl seemed just annoyed about the whole situation so she had left, taking the little dragon Slayer with her.

They were superior in number but fighting with men made of sand revealed to be not exactly a piece of cake. Erza had hit him with a thousand of her sword but he had managed to turn them all in sand, Lucy had hit him hard with her arrows but he just had made them go through his body. There was no way to hide, so they decided to hit altogether. The moment he transformed himself into a mountain made of sand, to finish them, Juvia used her water and he became a puddle of mud. But this was just enough for them to escape. As far and as quick as they could.

They all were tired, so damn tired but there was no way Ajeel would not find them on a beach, they had to think quickly, Lucy had an idea, she asked Virgo to make a tunnel that would bring them in the wood while Gray created small film of ice behind them. It should work and when they come out it was already dark.

"is she still asleep?" Lucy asked

"mm" was the only answer she gained from Gray

He was carrying Juvia all the way, on his back, ignoring Natsu's and Mest's offers to take her at some point.

They made a circle around the fire, discussing a plan to save Wendy and Makarov, they had to outsmart the enemy because they were not fighting on the same level and they had to be prepared.

As difficult and unnerving was to wait instead of rushing to save Wendy, Erza ordered them to sleep few hours, they would move at down.

Juvia opened her eyes. Not still awake but halfway between dreaming and conscience.

She tried to adjust her eyes at the surroundings but it was pitch black, the only light was coming from an almost extinguished fire camp. From her position she could see Lucy on the ground, next to the fire, all wrapped and hidden under something, as she was trying to take all the heat from that particular place.. or wait.. it was a person. "Take a room you two" she thought and she would say it out loud, teasing Natsu and Lucy but she could feel her tongue tied and her mouth dry.

Her whole body seemed sap, drained and she could feel her muscles ache but it was something else that caught her attention.

The warmth.

She could remember this sensation as it came from another life. The moment Gray had dropped his iced Armour in front of her. She had spent the year clutched at his arms or hugging him but it was just that time, in front of Gray's parents grave that she had felt him warm in their hug. As if for the first time he was giving her a true sight into himself. He was not the ice mage, in that moment, he was just Gray. No walls around.

But that same walls returned, she could sense them growing every time he trained thinking about his vengeance, thinking about END she could practically see his ice enveloping him again filled with something dark that haunted her dreams with worries, until the day he disappeared, leaving her in a limbo made of hopes and fears that were ripping apart her heart while she waited for him at the windows of their house.

A single tear rolled down her cheek and she cursed herself for being this stupid. She was no more that girl.

And yet she couldn't stop her body from enjoying the warmth wrapped all around. She could smell Gray's scent on his jacket placed on her shoulder, she could feel the heat coming from his hands, one placed possessively on her stomach while the other was gripping her thigh. As she tried to shift he only readjusted his position, taking her back closer to his chest and she felt his warm breath and his lips brushing her neck while he mumbled something unintelligible.

She decided against moving again. It was no use with his legs completely blocking hers however, so she just closed her eyes releasing a sigh.

"Ehi you two, wake up!" Natsu said kicking Gray's boot "and take a room if ya wanna sleep like this"

Gray opened one eyes, strangely conscious of something really really soft in his arms, like waking up hugging a puppy or a plushie. Strange because he didn't have one since he was five, his mother Mika always let him sleep with his favorite stuffed animal, they were almost inseparable, God he had totally forgot about Mr Blue Frog! And now that he thought about this, it was the first time he woke up with a memory of his past that was not about something horrible. This was, indeed, the first time he was having an happy memory!

A content smile crept on his lips and he opened both his eyes looking in his arms. The image of a puppy never falters as he looked down. He had his fingers entangled in a blue wavy mess of soft hair but what it startled him was Juvia's face. She had her face hidden in his chest, her arms were around him dangerously near the curve of his ass, Not that he felt like complaining or anything.

She had her nose red for the friction of her face rubbing against his skin while she was waking and then he saw her opening her eyes, her blue limpid eyes, and it was like looking in a lake when the sun starts to mirror in the water. Those eyes made something powerful, like a 4000 V shock right in his chest and he immediately could feel those butterfly in the stomach everybody talked about. And he discovered it was almost painful.

He had always felt strong in his cool way to act, invincible in his ice and yet now it was as his heart was a fresh dish to offer on a plate to someone that could easily throw it away and suddenly everything made sense. He was not the brave one, Juvia was, every time she had put her heart on display for him to see., for him to hurt.

He knew well how much love meant suffering and until now he was not ready to let that happened, was he ready to suffer, to be hurt now?

She smiled with her eyes still not entirely focused and he melted. The urge of kissing her almost unbearable but she regain her awareness and the smile disappeared from her lips and the serenity in her gaze seemed.. Broken. There was no more light in her bright blue eyes.

She put her fists against his chest pushing him.

None of them said nothing.

He just let her slip away from his grasp, letting die the fucking butterflies one by one, each one leaving a strand of bitter in his stomach. He deserved this.

He almost wanted to laugh at himself.

Karma was a bitch.

"Let's get ready! We have to find Wendy!" Erza said

The plan was simple, in and out, the less they get noticed the better, only Natsu kept telling the plan was a shit because he couldn't burn anything but after a bit of menacing looks from Lucy and a pair of convincing glare from Erza he decided to stick to the plan.

Juvia would enter in her water form, looking for Wendy then going out and telling Mest the correct position, Mest, and Erza would enter taking the little dragon slayer and then out. Plain and simple. Well not a complicated plan but it seemed the best they could do with less that three hours of sleep and the simpler the better.

They managed to get closer to the castle. Well, for being the residence of Zeref it was actually.. Nice.. Not the kind of castle they kinda expected with scary spires and.. maybe bats all around the place, some Gargoyle at least? And truth be told there was not even so much of protection, just two guards peacefully sleeping at the entrance.

Maybe be the darkest mage around, makes you feel a little confident about not being attacked. Who the hell would try to leak in a place full of the strongest, evilest mages of the world?

"So, are we going? I'm all fired up!" Natsu said smiling wide

"Not you, it's Juvia's turn now! Erza answered hitting the dragon slayer.

"She'll take all the fun! This plan is a shit!" He pouted

"She will not, she will just go in and came out without meeting anyone, no fights!" Gray said almost hysterically.

"Sure," Lucy said putting her hands on Gray's shoulder "this is the plan!"

Juvia rolled her eyes, annoyed at something she couldn't quite pinpoint "Well, I'm going!"

"hey Juvia" Gray called going closer and looking strangely at her

" What?"

"Just.." He said passing a hand at the back of his nape, as he always did when he was nervous and diverted his eyes while a bit of red crept to his neck and ears "Just be safe, k?"

"I can take care of myself" she answered bitterly but truth be told, she felt a bit of a bitch treating him like this.. He was just being nice.. no harm.. so she touched lightly his wrist "I will" she said smiling before turning herself into water.

They were following Juvia's stream getting near the entrance

"Fuck" Gray panicked "What if they had a magic detector? They would find Juvia as soon as she enter the damn door, why didn't we think about this? This plan is a crap!"

They all hold a breath, it was a possibility after all and she was already there. It was too late to do anything.

Juvia passed between the two guards, almost splashing them in a mocking way, without them noticing and then she was in.

Everybody released a breath. "I told you it would work!" Natsu said cheerfully.

"…And now we wait" Erza said but almost too soon, from a side door they spotted a glimpse of blue hair

"wow Juvia sure is fast!" Natsu said

"That's not Juvia" Gray answered almost immediately. Well, Juvia had lighter hair, even at that distance it was pretty obvious, why were all looking strangely at him?

"Wait if that's not Juvia, it means…" Charle said almost crying

"it's Wendy!" Lucy shouted

"Wow! This rescue plan was amazing! I told ya!" Natsu yelled gaining a lot of rolling eyes

Wendy was happily walking down the street licking an ice cream when Mest transported her behind the bush everyone was hiding.

"Minna?" She smiled

"Wendy, we thought, you were in danger, what happened?" Erza asked "Is that Star mango's ice cream?" She added with a dangerous glimpse in her eyes, shocking her head at her same thoughts, as she was ready to do something really despicable like stealing a candy from a baby.. or an ice cream from a little girl.

"Gomen nasai, Gomen nasai, I didn't want to scare you!" Wendy bowed

"didn't that girl, Brandish kidnapped you?" Lucy asked

"Yes, well, Miss Brandish was actually very nice, she brought me to her room, she offered me tea, biscuits and a lot of ice cream and juice.."

"Starmango's" Erza asked hungrily

"Yes.." Wendy said a bit scared "she.. she let me sleep in her room and she said i could go whenever i wanted, that she would not let anyone follow me, that i was free, so i woke up soon to look for you and…"

"This does not makes sense at all" Gray said opening his shirt

"I thought the same but Brandish-san she said she doesn't like to fight, she prefers to go shopping and sewing and that she had mistaken me for another.. So it was all a big misunderstanding.."

"what does it means? How could she kidnap someone by mistake?" Mest said

"Miss Brandish said it was because of my hair.."

"your blue hair?" Gray asked feeling a clutch to his stomach

"yes," Wendy said sincerely

"Shit" Natsu cursed, "I think we just played their game"

Screw their "no fight" plan

Juvia was in danger and no way in hell Gray would let something happen to her!


	7. Chapter 7

Numb.

That's how she felt.

This was not a foreign emotion for her. Rather it was a feeling she knew too well. You do not survive years of fears and loneliness if you do not become a bit detached, at least.

Sometimes she felt like she was seeing her body move, fight, living, while she was just hanging above there, waiting for something to happen and start her life.

This was exactly what happened when she met Gray. She saw how life was out of her anesthetic world, out of her constant rain that made every odor smell the same, every landscape seems the same, every person just a faceless stranger.

When she met Gray she saw the sun, she saw colors, she saw kindness and she made bonds. Everything was new and exciting. She had a home. She felt accepted., exalted, happy.

She felt alive.

But then he left her and everything went black again.

With an exception, when you had seen the colors you cannot stand their loss. She tried to fight the coldness hand of the depression that was knocking at her heart but it was too noisy when she was alone. And she was left alone.

Juvia felt a painful burning in her stomach.

She cried in pain not knowing where she was and what was happening. She could only feel pain.

"I told you not to hurt her, idiot!" someone said

"I did not, I swear, I just gave her a little shock so she'd return to her normal body"

"Maybe you used too much electricity!"

"I did not!"

"So why is she curling like this?"

"I don't know, could she be sick? Maybe something about you women being delicate as flowers"

"Oh just disappear from my sight, idiot or this flower will kick your ass!"

Juvia tried to focus. When the pain passed she felt strangely comfortable. She tried to move her hands but she felt something metallic prevent her movements.

"Anti-magic handcuffs!" a male voice said, obviously smirking

"Sorry about that but I need to keep you in your body!" another, female voice said

"A masterpiece of a body if I can say, such a pure vision"

Juvia forced her eyes to open. She saw a snow-haired young guy, something in his face was strangely familiar. He had a pair of glasses and by the way, he was sitting, stiff and polite he kinda remind her of a Prince, oddly similar to...

"My lady, you should stop staring at me like that or I'll take you straight to the first church. Do you believe in love at first sight? My sweet lady, I'd like to introduce myself, my same is Invel "

LYON. That's who this guy resembled.

"Excuse this idiot," the green haired girl said.

She too was oddly familiar but in a very different way. Like she knew her from another life.

"Let me go," Juvia said

The girl seemed in an inner struggle with herself "Sorry! I can't! I need you to stay there for now!"

"My lady I would do everything for you" the boy said taking one of Juvia's hands in his "but we can't allow you to run away, furthermore Zeref is already in a mood and if he sees guests around..."

Juvia went pale at the mention of that name. Zeref. Had she been really this stupid to get caught this easily?"

"You know," the glassed guy said "he goes like YAY Guests! Let's have a party! to GUESTS?how dare you intrude my property I'll annihilate all of you! He is a bit of a lunatic you know?"

Juvia was not listening anymore

Zeref.

That name brought at her mind his dark eyes. The way they were unfocused and cold when he saw him straight before her on Tenrou. The easily way he could have killed her that day.

She remembered that moment so clearly, all she could think about was "Please I want to see Gray sama again"

This last thought made her feel sick

Another burning pain in her stomach and the world all around started to tremble.

"What have you done to me?" she managed to ask coughing.

* * *

The rage was so thick he wasn't even able to think clearly, he needed to focus but Juvia seemed to be always the exception for his cool demeanor, he needed to stay lucid, to stay calm, but he could already sense the anger trying to spread from the bottom of his soul to his surface, covering his body with black marks that consumed his judgments.

When he was like this he could only fight, no reason, no plans, just vengeance's thirst and fighting instinct.

Silent and dangerous like a shadow he moved from corner to corner in the big building.

It was almost amusing the lack of guards in this castle. Probably Zeref had already sensed his presence but he didn't care at all. He just needed to find her and if this meant to face the devil himself he was ready to cover the hell in his ice.

He had left his friends outside trusting them with the task of finding a strategy but he couldn't wait one second more.

He saw a guard, leaving his position and going up a stairs ramp. He surprised the man behind a recess of the wall putting one hand on his mouth and his arm around his neck. The right amount of pressure, just a little bit more, would break easily his bones. The guard probably sensed this intention in his eyes and decided against moving.

"Scream and I kill you," Gray said growling

The guard just nodded "Please I have a family"

Gray looked at the man, he seemed a good guy, few years older than him, probably not even a mage but he had no time to wonder why Zeref, the black mage, had this kind of good people to work for him

"Where do you take the prisoners?"

"Prisoners? We never make prisoners!" the guard said

Ok, maybe Gray had misjudged this man and he was a freak like his king. He tightens his grasp around his neck. "What do you mean? Did You kill them? If something had happened to her I swear.."

"No" he coughs "We never make prisoners! We are pacific, our Brandish sama has a guest in her rooms, not a prisoner!Our Lord despise war!"

Now this was the joke of the century. If Gray wasn't this focus on his mission he would have probably laughed

"Do you even know WHO is your emperor?"

"kind men" he said earnestly

"No, he's a fucking psycho!"

The man's eyes widen, he truly knew nothing and Gray just tossed him on the floor punching him senseless. This was the most stupid man alive or Zeref really was the king of disguise.

* * *

Juvia returned to her sense again with a bandage on her head and a blanket on her feet.

"I'm sorry I didn't know if you were feeling hot or cold so I.." the green haired girl said mixing the sugar in a cup of tea

"I... Juvia feels.. strange"

"Juvia? You still spoke in this funny way?"

It was strange but Juvia was sure there were tears gathering at the corners of this Brandish girl's eyes.

She said nothing and turned her head, shaking it a bit before facing Juvia again and offering her the fuming cup.

"Juvia... I won't drink anything that comes from you! I have already been poisoned recently so thank you but, No thank you!"

"You did? What kind of poison?"

Juvia looked at Brandish. She seemed really concerned.

"Altromondo" She simply said not even knowing why she was trusting her enemy with this kind of information

"Oh my God! That's why you are feeling this painful" Brandish said running to her bookcase, looking for something

"No, Juvia was fine until now! Juvia thinks you gave her something!"

"No, you were not! Read this" Brandish said giving Juvia an open book

"Altromondo" she read "is a potion that appears in a bright shade of green and has effects if come in contact with blood so it is usually used to impregnate weapons."

"Yes, thank you I noticed this part and it hurt!" Juvia said rolling her eyes

"Keep reading!" Brandish ordered

"This potion is able to open a little shift in time and space that brings the target to absorb the behavior of his counterpart of a world where he is deprived of his major source of strength, making him weak"

"This is stupid!" Juvia said, " I am still me, I have my magic, how can I be weaker with my magic intact?"

"Maybe it was not magic your main source of power! However there is more written here"

Juvia looked at Brandish not liking the direction this discussion was taking " Yeah: as side effect the poisoned subject will repulse the source of his powers because the potion will provide a negative reinforcement about the perception the subject has his source of power, bringing bad memories and making the subject focused on a moment of his life where it was particularly unfavorable but if the subject will take contact again with his main source of power, he will experience high pain, confusion and if the contact persists death!"

"Fuck!" was everything Juvia said " This does not make sense! I have my powers, I am strong, I just have lost... my feelings for... AAAH!" the scream Juvia made was powerful and scary. She felt her legs shaking, too weak to sustain her weight, a cold shiver ran across her back and her vision went black. She could only feel the pulse of her veins in her head and it was like every one of them was trying to burn and corrode her from the inside.

"Hey Juvia are you ok?" Brandish said preventing her from falling " what's happening?"

"This does not make sense," Juvia said breathing hard with her heart pumping forcefully in her chest.

"I know that potion and it always works!

Brandish bowed her head surprised and smiled: "Lord Zeref you here?"

"Zeref? NO!"Juvia screamed scared. She was too weak at the moment and she felt as her body was not responding to her will, there was no way she could be able to face Zeref and have a chance to survive him in this way. She was doomed.

* * *

Gray felt his body reacting to the sound of her voice, a scream so scared, so terrified. He knew his Juvia, she was a fighter, nothing would scare her to this extent so whatever it was he must run to her.

He didn't know where to go, he just followed his instinct and luckily his mind and the dark beast he had inside were both on the same task, find whatever was hurting Juvia and crush it until nothing was left as a trace of its existence.

Gray turned left, right, right again, running fast, just following the path that was making him go meeting his deepest fear. Loosing her. Being late. See her dying. He could feel his own breath go heavier, his legs no more on his control, vengeance and fear just leading his movements and he was letting them.

He heard a second scream, Juvia's voice again. She was alive, he had to find her. He saw a man standing at the entrance of a door, a dark coat, black hair and the most powerful aura of magic he had ever sensed. He didn't care if he was running just to the end of his life if he would be consumed in darkness, but Juvia was there, he had to go. He knew just this.

He let his ice gleam in his hands, ready to shoot and he did, putting all his strength in his stroke but it never arrived at the target he had aimed for. His ice crashed against a shiny figure, it was as it was made of the ice itself then he heard a small laugh and a smirk appeared in front of him, ice morphing fast into a man.

The man in front of him used his finger to clean a small rivulet of blood coming from his mouth.

"I expected nothing less from you, Gray Fullbuster!" he said smirking

"Let me pass" Gray said growling low in his throat

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Invel" he said bowing

"I don't fucking care, you are just in my way!" Gray said shooting him again. This time, Invel dodged all his shots, easily letting them crash against an ice wall at his back.

"Sorry boy, I took the first one just to test your strength and I have to say I am not eager to take others, you should be proud of yourself"

"Let. me. Pass." Gray simply said feeling his blood boil. He saw Zeref turning and looking right at him, a disgusted expression on his face that didn't match his eyes.

Gray saw him enter the room and closing the door. In a mirror, he saw a glimpse of blue hair and he knew who it belonged.

"NOO" he screamed frustrated, shooting all he got but every shot was absorbed by a thin film of ice that divided the hallway.

He looked at the enemy in front of him. He just seemed pleased with himself and his creation.

"I'm very proud of my ice you know, it is so pure you don't even know where it is until you bump your nose into it"

Juvia was kept in a room with Zeref and only God know what that freaking bastard could do to her. He had to go. He had to get rid of this ice mage and his fucking wall fast.

* * *

"Usually, this potion just opens a portal to Edolas, and for mages, it brings here a version of the target that behaves as in that world, where, among other changes, magic doesn't exist.

Obviously, this is an illusion because nothing has changed in the mage's body here, but his mind thinks that he isn't able to use magic, as his counterpart, and so he couldn't. This is reinforced by the fact that just the thought of using magic scares him because of bad memories where magic hurt him and truth be told if he surpasses his fears and understand the illusion and uses magic again, he dies.

Twisted right? But it your case it's not magic that brings you strength" said the dark mage in a painfully calm and low voice

Zeref closed the door. He couldn't stand the face of that Fairy Tail mage. The face of someone that fears to lose someone he loves.

Love is horrible.

You could live a thousands of years and the worse thing you can face is love. It brings hope, it brings life and life are awful.

He looked at the girl in front of him, she looked like a fairy with her little doll face and her blue hair cascading in waves.

He couldn't stand her view either. He hated beautiful fairies.

"Your main source of power is not your magic and I think you understood at this point what it is"

Juvia nodded weakly

" Unluckily for the potion your power comes from love and Love unlike magic exists in every dimension, we are doomed to love the same person in every life and in every place, there are no universes where you don't love him, what it changes, in this case, it's not the space but the time. Humans can meet love sooner or later in their life, or they could spend their life time searching without finding it."

"That's sad," Brandish said

"That's wicked and perverse, as life is"

"No," Juvia said, trying to disagree but Brandish put a hand on her mouth going closer to her ear "if you want you and your boy to live, leave Zeref with his believes for now" she whispered.

Juvia did not understand why but she trusted Brandish again.

"However" Zeref kept explaining "in your case Altromondo brought the version of yourself that still hasn't realized her feelings. You are living now as the person you'd be if you denied your feelings for him!"

"and being her source of power if she loves him again she will..." Brandish said taking the book from Juvia's hands

"When were you poisoned?" Zeref asked

"a week ago" Juvia answered fast, feeling huge the authority that boy emitted.

"your feelings for the guy must be strong if in a week you are already falling again for him, surpassing your fears and bad memories"

"I'm not. I mean I don't.. he is just an idiot. I have no feelings at all.." Juvia said feeling her cheeks grew warmer. This Zeref guy seemed more annoying that scary in this moment.

"Do you feel pain when you think about that guy?" Zeref asked coldly looking at Juvia as he was examining a sample.

"Yes" she breathed

"Stop pretending then, the pain will only go worse until you die!"

"What can we do? Is there an antidote Master Zeref?" Brandish said

"There are two ways but my advice is to take the easiest one: kill him, Kill Gray Fullbuster"


	8. Chapter 8

Zeref left Brandish's room, his aura of power making the ice wall to vibrate.

"You can kill him" he simply said fixing his empty eyes on Gray.

Invel nodded bowing his head.

"Sorry boy, I planned to have fun with you but the party is already over"

"Bring it on," Gray said closing his fits and making a sword appear in his right hand

"Oh well well, how did you know I have a knack for swords fights?" Invel smiled wide "I think I can do both, have fun and kill you!"

Gray took the initiative. He didn't have time to waste and he throw himself toward Invel with all his strength but Invel made his own ice sword blocking Gray's stroke and cutting his cheek.

Invel danced around Gray moving in circles. Smiling and humming a tune.

Gray again moved hitting hard against Invel dodge.

They kept fighting, moving constantly, parry and attacking.

Invel's smile just grew wide every time Gray pushed him a bit backward with unceasing attacks

"You know people think that sword fights are all about reflexes and coordination and techniques" Invel said striking his sword hard and it was Gray's turn to block "but it's not just that, a good fighter is aggressive, brave and takes the initiative" he said jumping forward "And you are really bold, ice mage" he said when Gray used his left hand to block his jab

"Oh just shut up," Gray said using his strength to push Invel

"...then sword fighting is about leverage, perception, distance and above all..." he said intercepting and stifling Gray's attack "Timing" the spriggan moved fast and bound his sword right in Gray's shoulder.

Gray yelled in pain but then smirked "thanks for the lesson" he said "I liked the distance part" he said using their proximity to cut into Invel's side.

He fell with his hip deeply cut "I really like you! No one had ever hit me before. I guess you are well motivated!" Invel said throwing a glance to Brandish's room "She's beautiful, I wouldn't mind taking care of her when you'll be dead"

"Like hell" Gray said running to the ice wall that divided him from Juvia.

"However, I'm a bit tired of this game" Invel let his sword disappear covering the whole space in his ice "Time for us to say goodbye, ice mage"

With a bleeding shoulder, Gray took his sword with both hands

"For being a strategist, you made a mistake, coz I am not just an ice mage, I am an ice demon slayer" Gray opened his mouth and started to suck all the ice of the hallway letting it flow through his body and to his sword and then with a single powerful strike broke the ice wall

Invel laughed "I really didn't expect this, you used my own ice to destroy my wall, nice shoot"

"But not enough" Invel snapped his fingers and Gray instantly fell on his knees, screaming and feeling his blood run colder

"I have the power on my ice wherever it is. I can feel it, that's a part of me so the ice you ate. it's just a knife ready to kill you from the inside"

It was like a thousand swords were cutting slowly from within his flesh, pieces of broken glass scraping his skin

"Bye-bye ice mage" Invel said

"ENOUGH" Brandish moved her finger and the pain in Gray's body improved until disappeared

"Brandish sama" Invel said sensitive "It was Zeref's order to kill this boy"

"I don't care, it is just annoying," She said in a monotone "and useless"

Invel frowned "I know you don't like to give explanations Brandish sama but if I have to violate one of Zeref's order I have to know why I am doing it"

Brandish rolled her eyes " Zeref ordered Gray Fullbuster death because he thought Juvia had an interest in him but it came out she has not"

"What?" Gray said panting "where is Juvia? What have you done to her? I swear that if she has even one strand of hair misplaced I..."

"Chill ice mage" Invel said "Brandish sama can you explain me better than this, please? Before I went out playing with this guy, I heard that the water angel was poisoned, what happened?"

"Well," Brandish said going closer to Gray and taking his face in her hand, inspecting his features "Everything will be fine because this boy will never see Juvia again" Brandish looked straight in Gray's eyes "She will be fine, as long as she stays far from you in body and soul! Juvia said it's fine with her, that she doesn't care about you!"

Invel started laughing "so you were fighting so hard for a girl that does not love you back.. oh what a pity boy!" He swooned "The unrequited love is so romantic, it makes you feel misery and yet you welcome even that feeling if comes from the person that owns your heart"

"Bullshit, Juvia is. She and I, we are.." Gray tried to explain

"You are what? Poor fool!" Brandish smiled "If you don't believe me let's ask the girl"

"Juvia" she called

Juvia came out Brandish's room sipping tea.

"What?" she asked and Gray had to contain a relieved breath seeing her safe. He jumped on his feet but Brandish stopped his run.

"Juvia" he called "are you ok?"

"Sure" she said simply "do you really still believe I need you in some way?"

"I..I.." he stammered passing a hand in his hair

"so Juvia, do you have some sort of feeling for this guy?"

"Don't know, getting annoyed is considered a feeling?" Juvia rolled her eyes

"So," Brandish asked, "would you like to see him again?"

Juvia looked Gray in the eyes seeing them burning. All his features were expressing his confusion and a passion she had never seen before.

She lowered her eyes, not trusting herself while looking in his eyes "No, I don't!"

"What?" Gray screamed "Juvia look at me. Juvia!"

"I think this put an end to this story. You can live Gray, just go away and don't bother her again!" Brandish said

"I don't believe you!" Gray yelled "I don't know what happened to you, what that potion did or what do you think you know but I Know you, Juvia! I know us! And I know you love me and me... I..." he closed his eyes not ready to say what was already exploding in his chest from time "I know we can do it!"

Gray freed himself reaching Juvia and taking her hand in his "Juvia. Please, together we can overcome this" his eyes were burning in her soul with their honesty. She felt her knees weak but when she opened her mouth to say something Brandish pushed one finger in Gray's bleeding shoulder and pushed him away from her.

Gray fell and rose again but Brandish moved her hand and the hallway between them started to shrink

"Run away Gray Fullbuster if you want to live"

"Gray go away." Juvia said turning her back to him

"Noo" he yelled trying to run to Juvia but a fist hit him hard in the chest

"the fuck are you doing Gray?" Natsu said taking him from his arm and carrying him away while the walls at their back kept getting smaller

"Leave me Natsu I have to,.Juvia, she is..."

"I know man, I've heard that but you will not save her as a dead man so for now, let's go! We will come back and take Juvia, I promise!"

"Well well," Invel said "I can recognize a liar when I see one. So what was that play about?"

Juvia shook her head trying to suppress the tears that were silently falling. would she not see Gray again? The last thing she told him was Gray go away. She could feel her heart broke. Gray leaving her behind was the image that tormented her night since the day he went away leaving her at their home. Alone. She didn't even understand why Brandish was wetting her face. Why Invel was supporting her body. She couldn't feel her body at all. She felt the air leaving her lungs without coming back. Her breath was labored, her heart was racing in her aching chest. The world was spinning but she felt like she didn't belong to the world

"She is having a panic attack, let her lie down"

From a corner of her mind, she remembered that there was a way to stop the panic. She remembered one night with a heavy rain, how the windows were slamming and her room was enlightening by a sudden yellow just to fall in the deepest black the second later. She remembered how her body was shaking out of her control, how the tears kept falling and then she felt a sudden warmth surrounding her body, gentle fingers brushing the hair from her forehead, a warm breath in her ear telling her everything was fine. She remembered how it felt to be wrapped in his hug. How warm it was, how every piece of her being seemed to find his place in that hug. Gray spent the night just caressing her hair, keeping her close, until she fell asleep. He was her fixed point in the universe. The calm in the middle of the storm.

Then another part of her brain, the wicked one,remembered her that he was gone forever. She had told him to leave and he had left and now she was alone

"Promise me no one will hurt him," she said with a feeble voice

"He is with his friends, He will be fine, I promise!" Brandish said and Juvia closed her eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Gray had the hands on his collar, desperately trying to unstick the tissue from his skin.

Why the fuck he thought it was a good idea to put on a turtleneck shirt? Yes, the point was exactly to make it difficult to strip off but he didn't imagine how suffocating that would be.

He gave up, deciding to put his focus on another task so he started to scratch on the rough surface of the wall he was leaning on. In another moment he would have felt proud of being in the place he stood, there were only ten people in that room and three of them were the Gods of Ishgar, two were Wizard Saints and then there were his family and him.

"Your purpose of seeking dialogue was noble, but I think we have to consider the possibilities we might face a conflict sooner or later" one of the Gods, said.

For a second Gray was tempted to quit his occupation and pay attention to what a so powerful man had to say, they were discussing the future of Fiore after all, but that piece of brick he was digging with his finger was right about to break.

"I didn't go there to seek dialogue, I was there to prove them we are not scared!" Makarov said

"And you could have been dead by now, because of your careless"

Natsu merged in the discussion when the 3rd most powerful man in the continent was head to head with his master

"Hey old man, Master was not reckless, he just knew we would save his ass if he needed it"

"Who do you just called old man?" The Ishgar God said while Lucy gave Natsu a small blow behind the head

"However" Makarov interrupted "that's true that it was risky but my sons came, we escaped that place and now we are the only five people able to penetrate Zeref's residences! If the conflict is what will come we will need every piece of information about him!"

Everybody nodded while Gray just stood there blank.

They were escaped, that was true, but not everyone of them.

After Natsu had intruded, taking him as a weight height on his shoulder, yes, Natsu had to knock him unconscious to make him left, he had woken up just to find out that while he was busy with two of the Spriggan twelve, Mest had found the Master and freed him.

The relief of seeing him alive brought a spark of enthusiasm in his aching head but then he instinctively looked around just to being flood with the reality. She was not there. He hadn't saved her.

"Gray go away"

"You will not see her anymore"

"She will be fine as long as she stays far from you"

"Gray go away"

"Gray, Gray, Gray!" He heard a voice calling him. He snapped out of his reverie just to see Lucy looking at him with her worried eyes. She was wetting a tissue with a bottle and water. He didn't understand what she was doing until she took his hands and started to pass the humid material on his fingers and he saw blood.

"you know," Lucy said casually "We are going to meet again tomorrow in the morning, they want us to draw a map of the house, we are free until then"

"Yes, I've heard that," Gray said abruptly "and what are we supposed to do in the meantime? Just go to the continent enjoying our tourist's time in this place? Maybe befriend with Zeref's soldier and go out for a beer?"

"Gray, I.."

"I'm sorry Lucy" he said taking the tissue from her hand and patting lightly her head "I'm just tired, I'll go for a walk"

He didn't miss the way Lucy went out, joining Natsu and Erza in the wood, shocking lightly her head. Natsu said something and Lucy hit him but, after bickering for a while, they ended resting peacefully on the grass with Natsu's head on Lucy's lap.

"Gray, mind if I join?" Erza asked walking at his side

"it's not like I'm going somewhere," he said, eyes concentrated on hitting small rocks with his boots

"The council thinks it's better for us to stay far from Zeref's residence for a while, they don't want to give him the impression we might do something so he will prepare himself"

"if you are worried I am going to take Juvia again, you can stop.. She clearly told me she didn't need me. She is there on her own decision"

"Gray.."

"look Erza" he interrupted her "I can see what you and Lucy are trying to do, but there's no need, I'm fine! It's not like I am a stupid sorrowful shoujo character. She is fine and she decided to left. It's not the first person to do it in my life. I already know how to handle it"

"Gray"

"actually it was just a matter of time, I had always thought at some point she would understand I was not worth all her efforts, she even resisted more than I thought she would"

"Gray" Erza yelled taking his shoulder "Juvia had a home with us, she was happy with us, she didn't leave just you, she left everybody of us and.."

"and what the hell do you want me to do? Go there and pray her to come back?" he shouted

Erza snapped "I want you to open your eyes Gray and stop with this blame of yourself, I know you, Gray, I know where your mind is going but you have to stop going always in your past, Yes you experienced a lot of horrible moments, we all did but then we had the luck most of the people haven't, we grow in a place we called home, we found a family to fight for and that would fight for us. Juvia was not that lucky. She was by herself for most of her life. She had to carry the weight of her sadness and the guilt of the things she made to keep staying in a place to consider home even if no one there would even lift a finger for her"

Gray wanted to say something but Erza's eyes dare him to speak

"No matter all of this, from the moment she met you she tried her best to support you, every time you needed her and she did this while trying to win by herself her own demons, trying to always put on a smile for us to see, for you. Juvia is strong, selfless and she loves everybody of us, she was happy with us, with you! A stupid poison could not erase this, so, Gray, stop considering just yourself! I see that you do not value yourself as someone that deserves a love like that, but it's not your choice! It's hers and if you stop thinking about your fears you will see there is no way Juvia can forget about her bonds. So me, Lucy, Natsu and the others, we are going to figure out what happened and we will take our Nakama back. Make yourself helpful"

"I..." For the first time, Gray felt not hopeless against this situation! Yes, there was no way Juvia had stopped loving him and no matter what, her home was in Fairy tail. His self-doubt was making him blind but he had to figure out exactly what was taking Juvia far from him and crush it!

"Erza, Thank you," he said raising his head

She smiled giving him a bone crushing hug

"Erza," Gray said weakly with his chin on her shoulder and his arms awkwardly loose on his side "Jellal is doing what he is doing just to prove himself he deserves you, give him another bit of time. He will come back soon!"

"I know, but I didn't need a better version, I just want him!" she whispered

Erza distanced herself a bit just to throw a punch in Gray's stomach

"You males are idiots" she smiled

"Gray, Erza!" a tiny voice called, out of breath

They turned their head to see Levy running with Gajeel behind, carrying lots of books

"Levy, Gajeel!"

"Did you find anything useful about that potion?" Gray's voice cracked with hope

"Maybe," Levy said but her eyes flashed to Gajeel's dark face

"let's join the other so you can fill us in" Erza ordered

They met Lucy, Natsu, the Master and the others in a small valley hidden by the tinder landscape.

"Master I'm so glad," Levy said sobbing

"Old man ghi hi hi, I knew you were not in a grave, yet"

"well thanks, Gajeel," Makarov said "However the council doesn't know about Juvia, I don't know how they could see the thing that one of us is still in Zeref's place so it is better if we talk about her just when there are only us"

"Aye" everybody agreed

"so Levy what did you discovered?"

"well I took all the useful book I have found at the council library," she said

"Levy" Mest interrupted "do you know it is a crime to take away books from the council library?"

"Well" Levy blushed

"What? I knew it" Gajeel said, "now I have to arrest you shortie!"

"The hell are you saying Gajeel? You helped me, you even carried the books here"

"you tricked me shortie" he said lifting Levy from the ground and putting her on his shoulder

"Gajeel put me down! Now! and then, you're my helper, you can't arrest me without arresting yourself!" Levy answered throwing punches to Gajeel's back

He thought for a while then decided to put her down "I can't arrest myself"

"yes," Levy said straightening her skirt

"but one day I'll put you handcuffs shortie! ghe ghe ghe"

Levy blushed three shades of red

"so" Gray interrupted "what did you discover?"

"ok um" Levy focused her attention on the first book opening a page and showing it to Gray "look to this page, look at the description of this potion"

"yes it seems similar" Gray nodded

"there are in literature a lot of examples about people hit by that kind of potion, apparently it has effect only if comes in contact with blood"

"Juvia was hit by an arrow" Gajeel said

"exactly" Levy confirmed "but this person hit, seemed always to lose their powers"

"Juvia didn't loose her powers" Erza said

"yes this is why I was about to discard it but then I have found this one case reported where the person hit did not loose magic, he lost all of his money instead, and another, a city major that left his town without reasons"

"I don't understand" Mest said

"I made some researches, they were mages but the rich guy had the power to repel dust and the Mayor could make his voice super loud.."

"Pfff, this are the shittiest mage ever" Natsu said laughing with his hands on his stomach

"yeah well.. they started to learn magic but apparently they didn't succeed so they quit"

"Ok I see your point" Gray said "It's like the potion took them the main source of their power that apparently wasn't magic in this case but Juvia, she is a powerful mage, there's no way she can be compared to this idiots"

"yeah well, maybe her greater source of power was not magic, think about it, Gray!" Lucy said "after the potion she missed something very important for the Juvia we know!

"her feelings for you!" Natsu said leaving Gray with his mouth agape

"I reached the same conclusion but this alone doesn't explain why she had a different behavior too so I read all the interrogatories the council made to the poisoned people and there is always one constant, they all behave as they had never had what they lost, they remembered their old life but they didn't want it back, like there was something that scared them. No one mage used his magic again, the rich guy abandoned all his property and went to a monastery, and the Mayor become a hermit"

"This explains her behavior!" Erza nodded

"No!" Gray said "I mean, if it was like this..but it's not" he said blushing hard "I know she did not completely forget about what she...you know?"

"No, I don't know, what do you mean?" Natsu asked

Gray shifted uncomfortable on his feet. He just knew, he had kissed her and looked at her and even if deeply he knew what he had seen.

"She did not completely forgot about how she feels about me" Gray said in a low voice

"Hu?" Natsu was not convinced "Aah I see! Mmmm how do you exactly know? It could be useful to know!"

Gray blushed

Lucy blushed

Levy blushed

Erza was fuming from her ears running wild with her thoughts

Gajeel moved quickly taking Gray from his collar and lifting him from the ground "What the hell did you do to Juvia pervert?"

"No...nothing" Gray coughed trying to breath

"Gajeel leave him" Levy yelled climbing up his arm

"No! I'll arrest him for.. for..."are you trying to play around with Juvia pervert?!"

Gray kicked Gajeel's guts "No I don't and don't call me pervert"

Gajeel punched Gray in the face, Gray punched Natsu because all of this was his fault, Natsu punched Gajeel just because… and the three of them kept brawling like little wolves then Gajeel yelled The question

"During this half year living together did you two did it?"

Silence descent upon the group, everybody waiting for Gray's answer out of curiosity or homicidal instinct

"NO" Gray yelled looking to all the faces pointed in his direction. Gajeel relaxed

"we just were closer.. and I Kissed her"

"I Kill you!" Gajeel said while Natsu and Erza tried to hold him

"Gajeel!" Levy yelled "you cannot arrest nor kill people because of love"

Gajeel grumbled

Shortie had a point. Love is something out of people control and is a good thing right?! Sometimes it makes you do stupid things but for good reasons? Maybe..

"Better be love then or I'll kill you!"

"None of your damn business!" Gray had his cheeks red as apples and now he was the held one from Mest and Lucy.

"I'll punch you so hard I will Mark on your skin that I'll kill you if you ever hurt Juvia's feelings!" Gajeel said

A spark of light passed in Mest's eyes and he let Gray go all of the sudden causing him to crumble to the ground

"What the hell?" Gray said while Gajeel laughed his gut off

"Marks! I remembered marks!" Mest said in a sort of trance "I have already seen that draw, the one that appears in one of the books Levy showed us, I was trying to remember where I had seen it and now I know!"

Levy opened one of the books looking for the sign Mest was talking about. It appeared often in her researches but she couldn't find anything about it. It was a draw with two parallel lines that at some point collide and then one disappeared and the other one formed a knot. "is this it?"

"Yes" Mest said

"Maybe you saw it during one of the interrogatories? Is that a council symbol or something?" Lucy asked

"No, I remember now! I saw it on a corpse!"

"what do you mean? A Corpse?" Gray asked

"once Lahar and I we were making some investigations for the council and we went in a town of artisans, no one there seemed to use magic but then they came under the attack of a dark guild, they took hostages in a kindergarten and one of the parents desperately tried to free his son. Apparently he fought with all his might, he got beaten up by the mages until at some point, out of the blue he used magic. No one knew he was a mage but he did use earth magic and with a single shot he caged an entire guild and saved all the children"

"he had to be a powerful mage, then why didn't he used his magic sooner?" Natsu asked

"that's what I have thought too!" Mest nodded "But the thing is that we were not there just to investigate the dark guild attack, we were there because of the strange circumstances of a death!"

Mest made eye contact with Gray "a witness, a teacher said that he used his magic but he kept yelling that he didn't want to, he seemed crazy, it was like he was fighting with himself and after he used it he started to…burn"

"burn?" Lucy said

"yes from the inside and what we found was just a burned corpse with that symbol on the shoulder"

"do you remember that man's name?" Levy asked

"Sure! I will never forget that case: he was Connor Lignus"

"I knew it" Levy said wearing her glasses and reading fast through her papers "Connor Lignus fought for the Fiore Royal Military and he was one of the scheduled mage that lost their powers after being hit by Altromondo"

"Are you telling me that he died because he used what Altromondo took from him?" Gray yelled

"Are you telling me that if Juvia remembers what Altromondo took her, that if she realized her feelings for me she would burn from the inside?"

"FUCK" Gray yelled kicking hard a rock with his fists closed his eyes "FUCK! What the fuck is wrong with my life?!" He muttered throwing his own hair.

"She will be fine as long as she stays far from you This is what Brandish told me! She knew it!"

"Gray!" Erza said "let's consider one thing at the time, at least, we know that Juvia is safe for now, we don't know why but Bandish was protecting her, they don't want her dead, so, for now, we can focus on the potion!"

"Levy, Mest" Lucy asked "is there an antidote? Has someone ever recovered?"

Levy and Mest looked at each other then they lowered their shoulder shocking the head "Nothing in the papers!" "No one has ever regained his powers"

"and the only one who did it is dead!" Gray added bitterly

"Gray we'll find a way!" Lucy said "we'll save Juvia and then we.."

"NO! No way!" Gray yelled " I won't risk Juvia's life! If far from me is what it takes to keep her safe then this is exactly what I will do! Fuck I… even, I was telling her.. I.." Gray punched a trunk

"Do you really think this is what Juvia would want from you?" Lucy yelled in his face

"Lucy it doesn't matter what Juvia wants, what I want, what matters is that Juvia has to be safe!"

"Luce" Natsu said taking Lucy's hand, "I think this time Gray is right, he has to be sure that she is safe before doing something! Her safety comes first"

Lucy looked at Natsu like she was the one controlling the fire by the way flames danced in her eyes "Seriously Natsu? I have enough with this bullshit!"

"What?" Natsu said stunned

"I am tired of this crap, yes I get it!" Lucy shouted "You want the people you care to be safe but there are a lot of ways to be hurt, you know"

"Lucy" Natsu looked at the finger pointed to his chest "Gray is doing this for Juvia, I did it for..."

"NO!" "You can keep repeating that it is for a good purpose but if the outcome is that Gray leaves Juvia then this is just a bullshit. There are a lot of ways to damage someone and being physically safe doesn't mean to be fine!"

"She can die, Lucy!" Gray barked "I can't let her die!"

"knowing Juvia she would rather die knowing that you, that us we are there for her than living alone"

"Gray" Gajeel broke his silence. He was thinking about do not speaking anymore with that iced ass until he proved he was serious about Juvia, but he knew his friend, he had witnessed every single moment of her loneliness, he was the one she woke up at night because of her sobs in her nightmares, until their arrive at Fairy Tail. She still kept him awake but because of her silly open-eyed dreams about her future in the guild, with friends, with family, with that frozen idiot "Go get her!"

* * *

 **AN** : _so here I am! Sorry if I haven't written any note until now but I think I was shy about my writing. I really like to imagine scenarios and situation to put my favorites characters in, I do it all day long! but I'm still work in progress about being able to put my ideas (in a decent way) down on paper and to learn how to write in English (that's why please, feel free to correct me and point out my mistakes, just be kind :D ) I'll do my best and get better!_

 _As you can understand I really really love Gray and Juvia, as single characters and as a couple, I think they went through a lot in life and they are very complexes personality but that together they can really find happiness! I also have a soft soft for their friendly relationship in the guild like GrayxNatsu, GrayxLucy. Grayx Erza, JuviaxERza, JuviaxLucy. JuviaxGajeel etc the more Brotp the merrier!_

 _However I am writing because I really want to thank you to the people that read, put this story in the followed or favorited and to the ones that left a review! You all made me extremely happy!_

 _so what do you think would be better? For Gray to protect Juvia by staying far from her or for him to go get the girl?_

 _What do you think about Lucy outburst?_

 _Please review! It makes my day! :)_


End file.
